Algea ID

Cool Ethan · Jun 28, 2022

Been dealing with excessive film on glass but eventually also noticed this on back. Scraps off super easy.

vetteguy53081 · Jun 28, 2022

What you have is lyngbya and is a type of cyano that looks like hair algae but is more filament than algae. It favors glass but will also adhere to rocks. To remove, use an edge of an old credit card or plastic putty knife to shave it off and either net or siphon loose matter.
If on rock, remove and place in container of tank water and scrub with firm toothbrush and return to tank.
Cleaners such as nerite, chiton amnd cerith snails will help with final clean up as well as Carribean blue leg hermits

Cool Ethan · Jun 29, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
What you have is lyngbya and is a type of cyano that looks like hair algae but is more filament than algae. It favors glass but will also adhere to rocks. To remove, use an edge of an old credit card or plastic putty knife to shave it off and either net or siphon loose matter.
If on rock, remove and place in container of tank water and scrub with firm toothbrush and return to tank.
Cleaners such as nerite, chiton amnd cerith snails will help with final clean up as well as Carribean blue leg hermits

Thank you! Was struggling to find a match with some of the more common ones. I also had a red cyano outbreak a few weeks ago. Are the causes similar?

My CUC seems to be doing some work on the rock, but hard to know if that's my imagination.

vetteguy53081 · Jun 29, 2022

Cool Ethan said:
Thank you! Was struggling to find a match with some of the more common ones. I also had a red cyano outbreak a few weeks ago. Are the causes similar?

My CUC seems to be doing some work on the rock, but hard to know if that's my imagination.

Similar in a fashion

ReefSlice · Jun 29, 2022

I agree it could be lyngbya. If physical removal doesn't work for you try out daily dosing of microbacter clean, it's the only thing that has slowly been winning my lyngbya battle after fighting it for months.